Ebosele starts: The predicted Derby County XI to play Cardiff tonight

Time is running out for Derby County, who have 12 Championship games left to play this season and are eight points adrift of safety. 

Barnsley’s recent upturn in form has thrown a fresh spanner in the works but the Rams could move back above the Tykes with a win against Cardiff City this evening.

Not long ago, we were talking about the Bluebirds as relegation candidates but some important victories since the start of the year has helped them open up a 13-point gap on the bottom three.

Steve Morison’s side have lost their last two games, though, and the Rams will feel that if they can hit their stride then leaving the Welsh capital with all three points is a possibility.

With that in mind, we’ve outlined the starting XI that Wayne Rooney could name this evening…

Ryan Allsop should reprise his role between the sticks but it would not be a surprise to see Rooney shift back to a 4-3-3 for the trip to the Cardiff City Stadium.

A back four that blends youth and experience could make sense with 20-year-old Eiran Cashin partnering seasoned defender Curtis Davies at centre-back while Nathan Byrne and Lee Buchanan get the nod at full-back.

In midfield, it would be a shock to see Krystian Bielik miss out and the Poland international could start alongside Max Bird and Ravel Morrison as Rooney looks to find the right balance between defence and attack.

Club captain Tom Lawrence is absent as he serves the third game of his suspension while Kamil Jozwiak is still missing due to an ankle injury, though the winger could return later this month.

That leaves Rooney’s options limited in the forward line but in Jason Knight, Luke Plange, and Festy Ebosele he has three dynamic players that are capable of causing the Cardiff defence real